This collection primarily comprises government documents relating to the development and planning of Charlotte, N.C. in the postwar era of the twentieth century. Publication dates of materials in this collection range from 1935-1993, but the bulk of materials were published between 1944-1987. Among the subjects covered are urban renewal projects, regional planning, and infrastructure development in Charlotte and the surrounding area. Authors include government agencies, including the Charlotte Mecklenburg Planning Commission, the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce, and local urban planning firms. These publications are part of the Local Documents Collection at J.Murrey Atkins Library. Charlotte Chamber of Commerce publications, contributed by the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, are also included in The Planning and Development of Charlotte collection.

In general, the publications in this collection reflect a favorable stance toward urban renewal projects. Alternative perspectives on these projects may be found in oral history collections, (the Karen Flint Student Project on Second Ward collection in particular, https://goldmine.uncc.edu/index/render/pid/uncc:sw) and elsewhere in Atkins Library Special Collections. To see photographs documenting the urban renewal projects, consult the Charlotte Redevelopment Commission online collection (https://goldmine.uncc.edu/index/render/pid/mss:charred).

This collection is part of Living Charlotte: The Postwar Development of a New South City, a collaborative partnership to digitize and make accessible materials with statewide and national impact relating to the rapid economic growth and social change in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg region from 1944 through the 1980s. Living Charlotte has been made possible by funding from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.